“I never like to compare years, but it’s true that this year means something very special for me. When you have a period of time like I had, you realize that you don’t know if you will have the chance to be back here with this trophy another time.” – Rafael Nadal, who won a record eighth Roland Garros title after being sidelined with a left knee injury for about seven months.

“I had my good moments, and he had lots of them.” David Ferrer, following his loss to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.

“I’ve always said a champion isn’t about how much they win but it’s about how they recover from their downs.” – Serena Williams, who won her second French Open title one year after losing in the first round at Roland Garros.

“It’s not finished until the end and you have to fight until the last ball. Today we were close to losing the match two sets to love and we fought until the end. We got chances, but not enough to (beat) theBryanstoday.” – Michael Llodra.

“We didn’t start well. We’re improving.” – Frantisek Cermak, who teamed with Lucie Hradecka to win the mixed doubles, noting that the first time they played together they lost in the first round atWimbledonfive years ago.

SPANISH GOLD

Four months after returning from a seven-month injury layoff, Rafael Nadal won his record-breaking eighth French Open crown. “Very happy, very emotional, very important victory for me,” said Nadal, who has won seven tournaments since returning. “It’s true that this year means something very special for me. Five months ago nobody in my team dreamed about a comeback like this because we thought that was going to be impossible. This was the final step in my comeback.” His 59th match win is the most by any player, Nadal having this year surpassed Roger Federer and Guillermo Vilas. Ferrer’s only victory over Nadal on clay came in 2004, before Nadal played his first French Open. Coming into the final of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament – and the only major played on clay – Nadal had a 19-4 head-to-head record with Ferrer. His 20th victory brought a statistical oddity. Nadal will drop to fifth in the world behind Ferrer in the new ATP rankings. “Yeah, it’s strange, no? I lost the final against Rafael, but tomorrow I am going to be number 4 and him number 5,” Ferrer said, then added: “I prefer to win here and to stay number 5.” Nadal now has won four consecutive French Opens, from 2010-13, to go with four in a row from 2005-08. He has won 12 majors in all – two Wimbledons and one each from the US Open and Australian Open – more than Bjorn Borg and Roy Laver, and equaling Roy Emerson for the third-most in history in men’s singles. Nadal trails only Roger Federer’s 17 and the 14 won by Pete Sampras. “Eight times here is a lot,” Nadal said. So true.

SWEET 16

When Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-4, she became the first American woman to win the French Open since 2002, when the winner was Serena Williams. But her first thought after wrapping up her 16th Grand Slam tournament trophy was a first-round loss a year ago on the clay at Roland Garros. “I’m still a little bit upset about that loss last year,” Williams said. “But it’s all about, for me, how you recover.” She did that very well, thank you. By winning the title, Williams stretched her winning streak to 31 matches, the longest of her career. She is 43-2 with six titles this season. “She is playing extremely well,” Sharapova admitted. “She’s a competitor.” The Russian entered the final as the defending French Open champion and the only active woman other than Serena and her older sister Venus with more than two Grand Slam tournament titles. But it turned out to be Sharapova’s 13th straight loss to the world’s top-ranked woman and will drop her to third in WTA rankings. Williams now has 16 major titles, fourth most in the Open Era behind Steffi Graf’s 22 and 18 each by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. She surpasses Evert as the oldest French Open champ[ion of the Open Era and her ninth WTA clay court title ties her with sister Venus for second-most clay titles among active players, one behind Anabel Medina Garrigues. “I always said that I felt like I have never played my best tennis, that I feel like I can always do better and play better, and I have always wanted to reach that level,” Williams said. “Maybe I’m still just trying to get there.” A scary thought for the other players.

SAME-SEX PROTESTORS?

Four protesters interrupted the French Open men’s singles final between Rafael Nadal and fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. Two bare-chested protesters stood up in one of the front rows behind the players’ chairs at the end of the sixth game of the second set. One, wearing a white face mask, lit a flare, jumped onto the court and ran close to where Nadal was standing before being tackled by a member of the security staff. Earlier, two other protesters were removed by security from higher up in the stands after they unfurled a banner saying, “Help!Francetramples on children’s rights.” Six other protesters, also bare-chested and brandishing flares, got to the top row of neighboring Court Suzanne Lenglen and unfurled a banner saying, “Hollande Demission” (Hollande resignation) before security removed them. Last month, French President François Hollande signed into a law a bill allowing same-sex marriage.

SLAMMIN’

They had to beat the top women’s doubles team in the world in order to capture the French Open title. That they did as Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won their first Grand Slam tournament title together. The Russian pair beat the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 7-5 6-2 by capturing the final four games in the match. “Honestly, for us it’s a surprise that we didn't drop a set for the whole tournament, because it was a really difficult tournament,” Vesnina said. It was the first time the Russian pair have beaten Errani and Vinci in five meetings. “We really wanted to beat them finally, because it’s really difficult to play against the same team and losing all the time,” Vesnina said. “For us it was a turning point this time. We were not thinking it was a final or a Grand Slam, we were just thinking that we have to beat them and we have to keep playing our game, not changing anything and believing in ourselves.”

SIBLING SUCCESS

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their 14th Grand Slam tournament doubles title, defeating Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut in the final. In the decisive third-set tiebreaker, theBryans rallied from a 4-2 deficit to capture their second French Open crown, their first coming in 2003. When they won the Australian Open earlier this year, theBryans broke a tie for most major doubles titles with Australian greats John Newcombe and Tony Roche, both now members o the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In the seventh game of the second set, Mike Bryan’s smash slammed into Mahut’s left calf. The American apologized, but the crowd booed him as Mahut wobbled for a few seconds. He had his leg treated with a spray during the changeover at 5-4, and then at 2-1 in the third set. Llodra and Mahut, playing only their second Grand Slam tournament as a team, were bidding to become the first French duo to win the doubles at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte won in 1984. With the win, theBryans became the first team to win all four majors twice. “This is the first one we won back in the day and kind of launched our career,” Mike Bryan said. “This is the toughest Slam to win, I think. Clay is an equalizer and makes a lot of teams better.”

SVETLANA’S BACK

Although she lost in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, Svetlana Kuznetsova was pleased with her French Open efforts. Mixing six months of the WTA Tour because of a knee injury, the veteran Russian dropped to 85th in the world rankings. She also was hindered by an abdominal strain in her 6-1 3-6 6-3 loss to eventual champion Serena Williams. After dropping the opening set, Kuznetsova had her stomach taped during a medical timeout. “I taped my stomach stronger than I had before because it was killing me and I couldn’t serve,” the 2009 Roland Garros champion said. “I took a lot of pills and stuff. My serve didn’t go up to its normal speed. I was serving like a grandmother. But still, at least I had a little bit less pain.” Serena held serve only once in the second set – the only one the American lost in her trip to the title. “Against Serena, it’s a bit complicated to play like that,” Kuznetsova said. And still it was very even and I had my chances.” The loser was happy with her results because it wasn’t that long ago that she needed crutches to move around. “I could not ever walk,” she said. “I was with crutches all the time. I was extremely pleased with the way I performed here, and I just need to keep going the same way.”

STAR-STRUCK

The world’s fastest man – Usain Bolt – and eight-time Grand Slam tournament winner Arantxa Sanchez Vicario were on hand at Roland Garros to hand out the winners’ trophies at Roland Garros. Sanchez Vicario, who won the French Open three times, presented this year’s trophy to Serena Williams. Bolt did the same to men’s champion Rafael Nadal.

SERGEI BANNED

Russian player Sergei Krotiouk been banned for life and fined USD $60,000 after being found guilty on 41 charges of rule violations. The Tennis Integrity Unit said the charges covered breaches of three articles of the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program during 2012 and 2013. The TIU said the breaches involve attempts to influence “the outcome or any other aspect of an event,” to “facilitate any player not to use his or her best efforts in any event” and to offer money or other benefit “with the intention of negatively influencing” a player's best efforts in any event. The 34-year-old Krotiouk is ranked 789th by the ATP.

SALUTED

Thirty years after he captured the Roland Garros title, Yannick Noah was presented his official Hall of Fame ring during the clay court Grand Slam tournament. Noah was the last Frenchman to win the men’s French Open singles title, in 1983. He was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. “Yannick is an integral part of France’s rich tennis history, and it was very fitting to present his Hall of Fame ring here at Roland Garros where he had such a tremendous and iconic victory 30 years ago,” said Christopher E. Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, who presented the ring. “As a Hall of Famer, Yannick is among the greatest champions and legends of tennis. We are so pleased to recognize his achievements with this special ring, which only the greatest legends of tennis have the honor of wearing.” In 1984, Noah partnered with compatriot Henri Leconte to win the French Open men’s doubles title – the last time a French pair has won that title inParis.

Chris Evert, who won a women’s record seven championships at the French Open and a record six US Opens, was presented with a gold ring signifying her enshrinement into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She entered theNewport,Rhode Island,USA, hall in 1995. Evert received her ring in special ceremony on ESPN2 during the network’s Roland Garros coverage. Joining in the celebration were Evert's ESPN colleagues Chris McKendry, Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Darren Cahill, and Pam Shriver. The ring was presented by Hall of Fame Chairman Christopher Clouser and CEO Mark Stenning.

SHARING A TITLE

TheCzechRepubliccontinued its hold on tennis trophies when Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak captured the mixed doubles at Roland Garros. TheCzechRepublicalready holds the Davis Cup and Fed Cup team trophies. In the final, Hradecka and Cermak beat Kristina Mladenovic of France andCanada’s Daniels Nestor 1-6 6-4 10-6 (match tiebreak). It was the first Grand Slam tournament title for Cermak and the second for Hradecka, who also won the women’s doubles at Roland Garros in 2011 with Andrea Hlavackova. Cermak and Hradecka first played together five years ago, losing in the first round atWimbledon.

SET FOR QUEEN’S CLUB

Andy Murray will make his return from a back injury at Queen’s Club inLondon. The US Open champion missed the French Open because of a chronic back problem, raising fears he could also be sidelined forWimbledonstarting on June 24. Ranked number two in the world,Murraylost to Roger Federer in last year’sWimbledonfinal before beating the Swiss star in the gold-medal match at the London Olympics, which also was played atWimbledon.

STAYING HOME

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Gerry Weber Open, a grass-courtWimbledonwarm-up event held atHalle,Germany. Nadal said the grueling physical demands of recent weeks, including the French Open, which he won for a record eighth time, led to his decision to withdraw. “After these past months and all the matches I have been able to play my doctors have recommended to rest after Roland Garros,” said Nadal, whose place will be taken by wild-card Mischa Zverev ofGermany. Also in the Gerry Weber field is Roger Federer, who now is favored to win his sixth title at the grass-court tournament.

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

Roger Federer is the second-highest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes Magazine, trailing only his friend, golfer Tiger Woods. “Federer has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports,” writes Forbes, listing Nike, Rolex, Wilson, Credit Suisse and Moët & Chandon among his 10 sponsors. According to Forbes, Federer earned an estimated USD $71 million in 2012. Woods topped the list with USD $78.1 million. “Federer is as bankable as they come,” the magazine said in its June 24th issue. “He has never faced major injury that sidelined him for months, like many elite players, and over the past decade he has reached at least the semifinals in the vast majority of tournaments, which keeps him in front of TV viewers and in the press.” Novak Djokovic, 28th on the list, Rafael Nadal, at 30th, and three WTA stars, Maria Sharapova, 22nd; Serena Williams, 68th, and Li Na, 85th are the other tennis players named in the top 100. The magazine elaborated on the appeal of tennis for sponsors, calling it “wildly attractive” with its lucrative fan base, an 11-month season and international reach.

SPONSORS

The Johan Cruyff Foundation has renewed its sponsorship as program partner for the Wheelchair Tennis Development Fund and the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) wheelchair tennis junior program. The ITF said the Foundation will support additional Development Fund projects for 2013-14, as well as the junior program for this year. The Wheelchair Tennis Development Fund was set up in 2002 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of wheelchair tennis. The Development Fund, previously known as the Silver Fund, aims to establish sustainable wheelchair tennis programs in developing nations through the provision of tennis equipment and technical expertise and the identification of local partners who will take the program to self-supporting levels. The Johan Cruyff Foundation began financing the Development Fund in 2003. Since then the Fund has supported wheelchair programs in more than 40 countries. The new agreement will help develop additional projects inCameroon,Cuba,Estonia,MauritiusandYemen.

SAD NEWS

David Markin, former United States Tennis Association (USTA) president and International Tennis Federation (ITF) board member is dead. Markin served as USTA president from 1989-90. As chair of the US Open site committee in the mid 1990s, Markin was instrumental in planning the revitalization of theNationalTennisCenter, including the construction of Arthur Ashe Stadium. He was currently serving as a member of the USTA Major Construction Oversight Committee.

About Admin
Randy Walker is a communications and marketing specialist, writer, tennis historian and the managing partner of New Chapter Media – www.NewChapterMedia.com. He was a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association’s marketing and communications division where he worked as the press officer for 22 U.S. Davis Cup ties, three Olympic tennis teams and was an integral part of USTA media services team for 14 US Opens. He is the author of the books ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY and THE DAYS OF ROGER FEDERER